Exit Music
by chromate
Summary: 'I am but a lowly butler in the household, Hikari-sama, and I am fully indebted to your father. I will do whatever he asks me to.' AU Takari. A one-shot to be turned into a multi-chapter story in the future.


**Author's Note**: this story is actually an idea that I have for a multi-chapter story. I have a complicated plot in mind, and this one-shot is just a slice of that. I'm penning this down as a 'Chapter Zero' of that story. I know that some manga also do that to test the reception first before being serialized, so consider this piece as my little experimental approach.

As this is only a part of a more thorough plot, many details will be left intentionally vague. Don't be surprised if you have questions like 'Where's Yamato?' or 'Is Ken the bad guy?' or 'Where are the other characters?', et cetera. When I finish my current fic, '_Comfortable Silence'_, I will most likely work on expanding this story, and the whole thing will make more sense.

This is an AU fic, so there won't be any digimon. It's majorly Takari, and the other characters who will make an appearance are Taichi, Miyako, Koushiro, and Yagami Susumu – Taichi and Hikari's father. The story is mainly from Takeru's perspective.

'_Exit Music'_ is the title of the song by Radiohead. It is also used in the end credits of _Romeo + Juliet_ (1996), featuring Leonardo Di Caprio. Very haunting and beautiful music that fits the mood of this fic.

I don't want to explain too much, as that will just spoil your mood of reading. So now, onto the story!

As always, I recommend reading in ½ page size to give off the feeling of reading a book.

* * *

'What have you done, Takaishi?'

Takaishi Takeru's body shook in fear. The owner of the voice took note of that and was clearly enjoying the frightened state of the sixteen-year-old. Takeru slowly raised his head to meet the gaze of the owner, who had a charmingly amused expression on his face.

'It's such a simple task, and yet you failed. You could not complete it.'

'I'm terribly sorry, Susumu-sama. I promise there won't be a next time.'

Takeru bowed deeply to Yagami Susumu, who was sitting at the long dining table with a glass of red wine in his hand. The older man took a sip of the wine, and did not look at the young blond at all. He took some time in adjusting the knot of his red tie, purposefully allowing the suspense to linger in the room. Takeru gulped and sweated as he waited for the man to speak again.

'Say, Takaishi, if you were me,' he swung his glass of wine in slow motion, 'if you were me, and your servant failed to perform his task, what would you do?'

Two other people were sitting at the dining table, all dressed too elegantly for a normal dinner at a normal household. A young adult three years older than Takeru shifted uncomfortably on his chair. Although he pretended not to care, he silently assessed the scenario with keen eyes while chewing his food. Sitting opposite to him was a young girl with short brown hair, who was wearing a red silk dress and a silver necklace. Her back was facing Takeru so she couldn't see his face, but she was listening intently to the conversation going on between the man and the boy. Standing on the other side of the room was a purple-haired maid, who clenched her hands tightly. She was around the same age as the two on the dining table, and she did not like the scene unfolding in front of her.

'I…' Takeru did not know what to say. The man sitting in front of him was so powerful that any wrong choice of word could cost him his life. The blond had seen enough people suffer to know that a flick of his finger would mean his life was over. After all, Yagami Susumu was a powerful businessman whose influence was enormous in the Japanese political sphere. He, Takaishi Takeru, was just a lowly servant in his household, and he was far too indebted to this man to disobey him.

'Well?' Susumu raised his voice, and Takeru swallowed hard. He took a quick glance at two sitting on the dining table. He could not see the girl's face, but he saw her shoulder stiffen at the man's words. The other young adult flashed him a helpless look while biting his lips, and Takeru understood his reaction. Even though the brown-haired boy was Susumu's eldest son, he was also in no position to say anything at the moment.

'I would give him a chance to repent of his mistake,' Takeru replied with uncertainty. Susumu eyed him playfully, as if mocking the young boy, then rose from his seat.

'Keep eating, Taichi, Hikari. Papa will be right back,' he told his children with an affectionate smile, although it sounded more like an order to them. 'Takaishi,' he pointed to a door on the other side of the room, 'a word.'

Everyone in the room knew what that meant, but none voiced their opposition. Takeru reluctantly walked behind Susumu as he led him into a totally soundproof room. He took a deep breath, walked in, and closed the door behind him.

The dining room was dead quiet after they left. Taichi tried to continue eating. He cut a small piece of his sirloin and put it in his mouth, chewing it half-heartedly. It tasted like plastic, he thought, and spit the meat on the side of his plate.

Sighing, he raised a concerned eyebrow at Hikari, who had not moved an inch since their father took Takeru into the room. He opened his mouth, but swallowed his words back into his throat. Hikari just stared at her plate of pasta, her face devoid of any emotion. It was her common countenance whenever their father was at home, even more so in recent time.

Taichi was about to say something when the door opened again, revealing Susumu with a smug grin on his face.

'Inoue,' he addressed the purple-haired maid who had kept quiet for the whole time, 'take Takaishi back to his room later.'

Everyone was aware of what that statement entailed. 'Yes, Susumu-sama,' Inoue Miyako bowed and entered the room quickly. The atmosphere was tense with only the Yagamis left in the dining room.

'Ah, it's that late already,' said Susumu as he studied the antique clock hanging on the wall. 'Sorry children, that little business occupied me for some time and I have to go now. There is a meeting with the Minister of Finance that I need to attend. I won't be back until midnight.'

'It's okay, father,' Taichi nervously commented as Susumu put on his black trench coat. 'We understand. I'll look after Hikari.'

'Thank you, my boy,' Susumu patted him on the shoulder, and went on to give Hikari a soft kiss on the forehead. She did not react, but Susumu did not seem bothered by that. He took his leave with a few servants following him, holding various documents for him. 'Oh, I almost forgot,' Susumu said and paused by the door. 'Hikari, remember to pick your best dress for tomorrow night's dinner with the Ichijoujis. It's your engagement party, after all. You have to look presentable to your future husband and his family.' The man then turned and walked away, not bothering to acknowledge Hikari's detached nod.

Taichi watched from the window of his mansion as Susumu entered the limo of their family and departed. At that instant, Miyako returned to the dining room.

'How is he, Miyako?' Hikari spoke for the first time of the night, but neither Miyako nor Taichi was taken aback by her question.

'Better than last time, I guess,' said the purple-haired girl, now tidying the plates and glasses left behind by the master of the house. 'He's in his room now.' She cast a worried glance at the young girl. Hikari did not look distressed on the surface, and that worried Miyako and Taichi even more. Over the years, she had learnt to hide her true emotions when her father was involved in these kinds of matter.

'I'm full,' the brown-haired girl declared as she wiped her cherry lips with her handkerchief. She rose from her seat and nodded at her brother, who nodded back in return after a moment of hesitation.

After receiving his wordless support, Hikari left the room in swift motion, and Taichi sighed as he rubbed his face. He knew what she was going to do next, and he had no intention of stopping her, even though if their father would be furious if he knew, even though he couldn't say he was too happy about it either.

'Should I?' Miyako asked, her eyes gawking in the direction of Hikari's departure, careful not to raise suspicion of other servants who were taking the plates away.

Taichi gave a firm nod after the butlers had left the room. He always found it ironic that he could only trust so few people in his own household, but for Hikari's sake, and Takeru's as well, he had no choice but to be very cautious. He sighed again, not sure how long this would last, and how much more he could take. The weary burden was too much for him to bear.

But then, when the time came for him to choose, Taichi knew he would always stand on the side of his little sister. He had no question about that.

* * *

Takeru inspected his wounds on his back through the mirror, gritting his teeth as he touched them. A burning sensation reached his spine and his back went limp for a second. He ignored the more obvious marks on his arms and legs, as his back hurt more. He also frowned upon seeing the old blemishes scattered around his body, groaning at the unpleasant sight.

He never liked Yagami Susumu's favourite whip, but in a way he was relieved the punishment had only lasted five minutes or so. Enduring about twenty whips was more than enough for him. Perhaps what frightened him more than the physical pain was Susumu's smirk during the course and his cunning remarks, spoken in a low, dangerous voice. Simply recalling that memory already made him gulp with much anxiety, and he never wanted to experience that again. At the very least, the man did not use his full strength this time, and he was partially grateful for that.

He sneered at his own thought and he rested on his bed, lying on his flat stomach. If anyone knew he was grateful the man did not go all out, they must think he was crazy or some kind of perverted masochist. No, Takeru was well aware that he did not enjoy the punishment process at all. However, he could not deny the fact that Susumu was his saviour, without whom he would not even have a place to stay.

After his mother died when he was only eight, Takeru was taken into the Yagami household, for his mother was a long-term employee of Susumu's company. He had given the boy a job, as a butler in the household, and made sure he was fed and educated. He even got a private room of his own. To all of that Takeru was truly grateful. Yet, as the blond grew older he began receiving more complicated and underground tasks from the influential man, and Takeru certainly did not like what he did. However, he did not get to choose, and he knew he needed a place to live and steady income to maintain his living.

He heard a few knocks on the door, and subsequently the door was being opened and shut quietly. He did not turn around, though, as he knew who it was. It was the same routine after every time he was punished by the master of the house.

'Just put the wound cream on my table, Miyako,' he said lazily, closing his eyes as he could still feel the lingering pain on his body. 'I'll give it back to you when I'm done.'

He did not hear any reply though. Instead, silence filled the room for a while as if he had only imagined the door opening and closing. Then, all of a sudden, he felt a cold hand tracing the wound on his back with tender care. He widened his eyes at the intimate contact.

'Miyako! What are you…' But Takeru did not finish his sentence, as when he turned his body around to face his visitor, he was faced with a pair of soft, crimson eyes, looking at him with guilt and sympathy.

'Hikari-sama…' he muttered, surprised that it was actually the daughter of Susumu who was in his room. He froze when he met her eyes, and he didn't know how to react.

Hikari did not say a word as she moved forward and knelt on his bed, her fingers still tracing his wounds. It took him a while to recompose himself, and he backed away from her.

'What are you doing here?' He whispered urgently, quickly grabbing a shirt nearby and putting it on to cover his half-naked body. 'Others might see you, and you'll get into trouble.'

'That is being taken care of,' Hikari replied casually while her eyes remained focused on his body. 'Let me see your wounds.'

'No.'

'Don't hide them from me, Takeru.'

Despite shaking his head and trying to maintain a safe distance between the two, he was still weak after getting hit in the back so many times. So when Hikari leaned forward and grabbed the collar of his shirt, with as little force as she could, he did not protest much. Now they were both kneeling on his bed as Hikari pulled up his white t-shirt that he had just put on.

'Turn around.' She ordered, and he obeyed in resignation. He didn't want to fight her at this point, so he decided to just let her do whatever she wanted to.

After taking off his shirt, Hikari carefully examined the red marks on his skin. Her fingers caressed the area nearby his main wounds, and she frowned with each time the boy yelped in discomfort. She knew that he was trying his best to hide his pain, and she bit her lips, blaming herself for not having the power to do anything. Tending her forehead against the back of his back, she gently pressed soft kisses on his wounds.

'Hikari…' Takeru warned, although she could not really tell if he was protesting.

'I'm sorry, Takeru.' Tears began to form in her eyes, and no matter how well she was in controlling her emotion, seeing the wounds on his body broke her defence completely. She had only spoken a few words, but it was enough for Takeru to detect her choking voice. 'I'm sorry father did this to you. I'm sorry that I did not do anything to save you back then. I'm sorry I did not stop him. I'm sorry that I…'

'Ssshhh,' Takeru hushed. He turned around and put his hands on her cheeks, wiping away the tears on her face. 'Don't cry, Hikari. You know I don't like to see you cry, especially when it's because of me.'

'B–but it's tr–true…' Hikari covered his hands with hers and leaned on his shoulder. 'I don't li–like this at a–all…father was never…h–home and when he was…he would t–try to make you s–suffer…'

'I failed a task he assigned me,' Takeru held her close to him, at the same time trying to avoid pressing her on his old wounds. 'It is only natural that he got angry with me and had to punish me.'

'D–don't try to d–defend him…' she wailed.

'I am but a lowly butler in the household, Hikari-sama,' he smiled a little as he knew Hikari did not like him to address her like that, 'and I am fully indebted to your father. I will do whatever he asks me to.'

'Don't say that!' She threw random punches on his chest, being aware of the fact that he did not have any wounds on that part of his body. 'Don't you dare say that…' Takeru just sighed and let her relieve her emotions. It took some while to calm her down, and by that time she had stopped crying.

'Please don't make me worry like that anymore,' she cupped his cheeks and pulled him closer to her. 'You have no idea how painful it is to know that you are suffering in the other room while I could not do anything.'

'It's not your fault,' Takeru leaned forward and kissed her forehead lightly.

'No, Takeru,' she asserted, returning a kiss of her own. 'It's not _your_ fault.'

Takeru decided not to argue on that anymore and just continued kissing her. He wondered how Susumu would react if he found out he was actually in love with his only daughter, and that they had been going out secretly for over a year. It was hard to keep it low when any servant in the household could tell on them, but so far they had managed that well. Only Taichi and Miyako knew about this. Taichi had always supported him like his own younger brother and, despite initial discontent, he was happy to see them together. Miyako was Hikari's personal maid so there was no way she wouldn't know, but the purple-haired girl had known them long enough that they knew they could trust her too.

Their kissing session intensified as Hikari dropped herself on his bed, bringing Takeru on top of her. Her hands played with his short, messy hair and he responded by moving his hand around her developing body. Hikari moaned airily at the contact and did not stop him from going further. The heat in the room began to rise, and both enjoyed each other's company in that way. They only stopped when Takeru found his fingers pulling on the strap of her dress. Hikari looked at him, her face flushed with boiling blood.

'We should stop,' he stated while trying to regain his breath. 'Others will get suspicious if you don't return to your room soon.'

Hikari took a glimpse at the clock from the corner of her eyes. While she did not want to stop, she knew they had to. As Takeru pulled away from her and tidied his clothes, Hikari did the same and sat on the edge of the bed. She fixed her hair to make sure she looked decent enough not to raise an eyebrow from others. Meanwhile, she stared at the clock on the wall, as if waiting for something to happen when the right moment came.

Just then, they heard a series of steady knock, with noticeable pauses between each one, on the door. Takeru stood with his fists clenched, alarmed and frightened. If someone saw Hikari in his room, in this state, then he would be a dead man, and Hikari would face trouble as well. He did not dare imagine what would happen when the door was opened.

'Don't worry. It's only Miyako,' Hikari's calm voice reached the blond's ears, and he looked back at her with widened eyes. The door slowly opened and revealed the purple-haired girl, who quickly closed the door behind her.

'Everything's ready,' she said to the brown-haired girl, who responded with an affirmative nod.

'What?' Takeru couldn't help but ask. He didn't expect Miyako to say something like that, nor did he expect Hikari's curious nod. He did not understand what the two girls were on about, and Hikari's unusually quiet.

'I'll see you in a bit, Takeru,' Hikari rose from the bed and gave Takeru a peck on the nose. She then hurriedly left the room, not giving him any explanation regarding Miyako's words.

'Pack your things quick, Takeru,' said Miyako. The confused expression on his face told her that Hikari had not explained anything to him, as expected.

'What is going on?' asked Takeru.

'You're leaving tonight. With Hikari.'

Takeru just stared straight, his lips parting slightly. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. It was also only now that he noticed Miyako was carrying an empty shoulder bag with her.

'Everything's been set up. Just pack your things now. We don't have much time left.' Ignoring his motionless stance, Miyako tossed the shoulder bag on the bed. She then proceeded to randomly grab clothes from his tiny wardrobe and thrust them into the bag.

'Miyako, wait!' Finally breaking from his frozen state, he grabbed her hand, forcing her to stop. 'I don't get it. What do you mean that we're leaving tonight? What has been set up? What is going on?'

'Don't you listen at all?' Miyako snorted and shrugged off his hand. 'You are leaving with Hikari tonight.'

'I heard that,' the blond retorted, exasperated. 'But to where?'

'Somewhere safe. A place where you won't be beaten constantly and where Hikari won't be forced to get married to some guy just because her father values money and power more than his own daughter's happiness.'

Takeru's face darkened a bit when the words 'Hikari' and' get married' were pronounced in the same sentence. Indeed, Hikari would be meeting her future husband tomorrow night, and she would be officially engaged to the heir of Ichijouji Corporation. It was an arranged marriage to secure the Yagami Corporation's interest in the political spectrum, and despite Taichi and Hikari's fierce protest, Susumu would hear nothing of that. Takeru wanted to punch the man for setting such thing up, but still, he was in no power to do so. He was just a nobody, and he had to keep his relationship with Hikari secret to protect both of them.

'Don't tell me…' he carefully asked, 'that Hikari has planned for this to happen?'

'Whether Susumu-sama beat you up or not tonight, Hikari has made up her mind.' Miyako sighed. 'She didn't tell you because she knew you would object to it.'

'Of course I would!' Takeru almost yelled. 'You know how powerful Yagami Susumu is, Miyako. There is no way we can escape from the man without getting caught.'

'There is a way,' she calmly replied. 'Taichi has connection with people that can guarantee your safety.'

'Taichi-san is involved in this too?' Now he was completely taken aback. Taichi was known to be very protective over Hikari, and it took him quite some time to trust the blond when Hikari and he started seeing each other. Takeru would have never guessed Hikari had dragged her brother into this too.

'Look, we really don't have much time left,' Miyako pointed at the clock. 'Hikari has decided she does not want to stay here anymore, and nothing you or anyone says will be able to change her mind. She is now with Taichi in the backyard, waiting for you. There is no time left.'

'But…'

'Either you move now and you and Hikari can be happy together, or you keep moaning here and watch her become Mrs Ichijouji tomorrow.'

Takeru wanted to argue on the matter, but the back of his mind told him it was futile. Deep down, he knew what his heart wanted.

* * *

The ride was very quiet.

When he met up with Taichi and Hikari in the backyard, he thought Taichi would be furious about this. A part of his mind told him that Hikari must have forced Taichi into complying with her plan. After all, there was no way the spiky-haired young adult would have agreed to this crazy scheme.

But if Taichi was mad, then he hid it very well. Takeru saw no signs of displeasure on his face as they loaded their bags into his car. Hikari shared a long hug with Miyako and Takeru did so as well, realizing that this might be the last time he ever saw the purple-haired girl. Holding back her tears, Miyako stood by the mansion and bid them farewell as Taichi drove them away from the place.

No one said a word during the ride. Hikari kept her eyes on the window and sniffed occasionally, to which Takeru attributed to the emotional hug she just shared with Miyako. The two basically grew up together, after all. Like himself, Miyako was brought into the mansion after her parents died, although they died when she was only three years old. That was why she was close to him, in a way, as she understood what it was like to have lost your family overnight.

Wordlessly, Takeru reached for Hikari's hand and clasped it tight. Takeru saw that her body was still shaking, so he put a hand on hers to reassure her that everything was fine. Hikari visibly relaxed, but he could tell she was still feeling anxious by the way she was biting her lips and twisting her eyebrows. He was about to say something comforting to her, but then decided against it. He didn't know what he should say in this situation, and he figured staying quiet would be the best solution.

A quarter of an hour passed by, and Taichi pulled the car to a halt, motioning for them to step out of the vehicle. Takeru saw that there was another car there, and a short boy, seemingly around their age, was standing by it. He was looking at them with a knowing look, as if he had been expecting them.

'This is Izumi Koushiro,' Taichi introduced the reddish-brown-haired boy to them. 'He will be taking care of you two from now on. He's an old friend of mine and I trust him completely, so don't feel afraid.' Takeru politely shook hands with the guy named Koushiro and Hikari did so too.

'I'll explain more about what to do from now on during our ride,' Koushiro pointed to his car, 'but we don't have much time and Taichi has to go back before things get suspicious. So just hop on now and get out of here first.'

As Koushiro stepped into the driver's seat and waited for them to get in, the time had come for the two teenagers to say goodbye to Taichi. Hikari wrapped her arms around her brother tightly, tears flowing out of her eyes. 'I'm sorry, onii-chan, for my selfishness and everything…' She sobbed into his arms while Taichi had a painful smile on his face, patting her on the back gently.

'Remember this, Hikari: no matter what happens, onii-chan will always be on your side.'

They kept hugging each other for some time more, and finally Hikari let go of him and stepped back, giving Takeru the chance to say goodbye to his former master. The blond looked at Taichi with mixed emotion. While he was thankful for Taichi's help, he was also aware that he would be the one dealing with the aftermath of their escape in the mansion, when Susumu returned tonight.

'Will you be alright?' Takeru asked as he shook hands with him. Taichi just smirked.

'Tomorrow never knows,' he let out a snicker and gave Takeru a pat on the shoulder, his expression becoming serious again. 'Take good care of my sister.'

'I will,' Takeru replied with absolute certainty. He knew how much Taichi cared about Hikari, and in this case he was entrusting her to him. Taichi had always been like an older brother to him, and he was determined not to betray his trust. Glancing at Hikari's small hand that was tightly wrapped around his, he raised his head to meet Taichi's gaze with positive assurance. 'I will, Taichi-san.'

'Just leave the rest to me, and I'll get in touch with you all soon.' Taichi checked his watch briefly. 'Now go,' he said, pushing the two into Koushiro's car. Hikari hugged him again quickly before moving into the car, her eyes never leaving her brother. Koushiro started the engine and began driving away, and Taichi's figure became smaller and smaller to the two teenagers until he was completely out of sight. For the whole time, he just stood there with his hands in his pocket, but Takeru could see the silent tears threatening to leave his eyes. Thinking about that made him grip Hikari's hand more firmly than ever.

'Takeru?' Hikari could sense that something was wrong, and she looked at the blond, confused. Takeru just offered her a tiny smile before placing a kiss on her cheek.

'I'll never let you go,' he whispered in her ears. Hikari snuggled closer to his body in response, resting her head on his chest as he put his arm around her shoulder.

'Ditto,' she softly replied.

Neither said anything afterwards. The darkness around them was suffocating and made them feel uncomfortable, but the warmth of each other's presence reminded them they were not alone. There was only a glint of faint light at the end of the long tunnel, but their fingers remained tightly intertwined. No matter what lay ahead of them, they knew they would go through it together. It was a vow that they would never break, no matter what.

* * *

_The End_

* * *

Well, I don't hate Yagami Susumu. It's just that the idea I have in mind requires him to play this villain role. I also thought about including more of others, but couldn't find a way for this short piece.

Now that this one-shot is done, I'll return to my current fic, _'Comfortable Silence'_, and will probably start writing the multi-chapter version of this story when that is completed. I have no plans on when to end that, though, so it may take a while.

Reviews will be deeply appreciated. See you next time!


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